During the annual fundraising dinner for a nonprofit serving homeless teens, program staff who work the streets told stories about the teens they served. One teenager entered the nonprofit’s shelter, went to school, and transitioned to full-time employment. Another received wrap-around services and other supports en route to self-sufficiency.
And then there was the story about the teen who frantically called the nonprofit to report finding a dead body in a trash can. An outreach staff member rushed to the scene to provide assistance, and then maintained close contact for several days as the teen struggled with the traumatic experience…right up until the moment the teen confessed to committing murder. The program staffer then described visiting with the teen in jail.
The nonprofit’s overall message was compelling. Our work is difficult. Not all of our stories have happy endings. That is why your charitable support is needed. The life-changing impact you can have is significant.
Brain science about storytelling is amazing. Good stories allow listeners to immerse themselves in the scene, find common ground with the main character, and stimulate empathy in ways that listeners will remember.
A great story about a nonprofit’s programs and results is both influential and emotional, informing donors who also can forge emotional connections with the nonprofit. The story becomes part of a donor’s decision whether or not to make a charitable gift, and at what amount.
A fundraiser’s stories can follow the formula used in our favorite novels and movies:
- Main Character: the lead character can be a real person who currently or previously utilized the nonprofit’s services; or the main character can be a composite of the typical person served by the nonprofit; briefly tell their backstory.
- Conflict: describe the obstacle or challenge faced by the main character; the conflict also can be an opportunity that cannot be reached or fulfilled.
- Intervention: the nonprofit has responded with programs and services that help the main character overcome the conflict or fulfill the opportunity.
- Conflict Resolution: the problem is overcome; the opportunity is fulfilled; partially, or completely.
- Conclusion: what is now different for the main character – differences in conditions, knowledge, activities, or lifestyle.
Story-gathering is one example of how the entire nonprofit is engaged with fundraising. Program staff who are not comfortable (yet!) asking for a charitable gift, can be notified that running high-quality programs and gathering stories of impact from those programs are essential for successful fundraising.
Those stories also can be told at board meetings, providing board members with compelling anecdotes to share while informing others about the nonprofit. In fact, one nonprofit CEO told a researcher about a board member who heard a story of the nonprofit’s impact and responded by immediately increasing the amount of her annual gift.
A good joke and a great story are two things many people often will remember. Fundraisers should not walk around telling jokes all of the time (unless, perhaps, when fundraising for a nonprofit comedy theater!). However, someone who is an effective storyteller can be a successful fundraiser.
Not all stories have happy endings, but stories are an essential tool for effective fundraising.
Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is director and Rosso Fellow of The Fund Raising School within the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
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